A dad who had a sophisticated cannabis farm worth up to £94,000 in his Leeds flat told police the drug was all for his own use.
Curtis Chapman, 34, avoided jail after 171 cannabis plants were found in his three-bedroom flat in Poplar Mount, Bramley.
Prosecutor Robert Galley said the farm was discovered after the flat beneath Chapman's flooded and Yorkshire Water and Leeds City Council had been contacted.
Mr Galley said the plants were found in the bedrooms and the kitchen before police were contacted on November 8 last year.
There were 54 cannabis plants in the first bedroom, 26 in the second bedroom, 18 in the third bedroom, 47 in a large foil tent in the kitchen and 26 in a smaller foil tent.
Some of the plants had not flowered yet but the farm was described as a 'sophisticated set-up with excellent quality plants' and 'substantial pots and crops'.
Leeds Crown Court was told the cannabis weighed 9.4kg which has a street value of up to £80,000-94,000.
Chapman's fingerprint was found on an item in the flat.
In his police interview, he admitted being the tenant and said the cannabis was for his own use.
Chapman pleaded guilty to production of a class B drug and abstracting electricity without authority.
He has four previous convictions for five offences, including conspiracy to burgle.
Probation officer Mike Cooper said Chapman admitted being a long-term cannabis user.
He said Chapman had acted naively and assessed him as a low risk of reoffending.
The court was told his employer described him as a hard, reliable and trustworthy worker.
Khadim Al'Hassan, mitigating, said his client is not a drug dealer and used to smoke cannabis to help him sleep.
Chapman was handed a 22-month prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
